67 responses to “Experiencing Problems With Leaving Comments On WordPress? This Is What I Found. Read This Post Now”

1. 

   Anonymous

   Oct 11, 2023

   I had a version of your comment gravitar issue when commenting on a blog yesterday. I typed in my comment but thr reply button remained greyed out until I clicked on the gravitar and brought up the options list you showed. Once I’d opened it – I didn’t change an option – the button went blue.
   Otherwise yes I’ve experienced your changes though I don’t customarily click on the other comments button so I’ve not seen the flood.
   No spam is welcome, isn’t it? I wondered if I could remove the time limit on comments and not reopen an unwelcome door on spam so it’s good to know I can.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Oct 11, 2023

      That’s strange that the ‘reply’ button remained grey after typing your comment. Has it happened on any other blog where you’ve tried leaving a comment? Werte you logged into WordPress when leaving the comment? Had you commented on that blog before, or was it the first time you were leaving a comment on that particular blog?

      Yes, stopping the flood of spam is a big plus. I’m delighted it has stopped.

      Reply
2. 

   Xena

   Oct 11, 2023

   I’m happy to have an empty spam folder, but the trash has over 52,000 comments. They were comments that all said the same thing in a language other than English, and they were posted daily by the 100’s. It’s so many that it won’t empty.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Oct 11, 2023

      You may have to bulk delete them over time. Unfortunately, bulk delete only does 20 at a time, so it’s going to take a long time. I’d recommend you contact WordPress and ask if there is a quicker way to delete them. They may even be able to do it for you.

      Reply
3. 

   petespringerauthor

   Oct 11, 2023

   One thing that I don’t understand about this is that when I get ready to leave a comment, the three buttons you referred to are not always marked the same. The email me new posts is usually marked, but occasionally one of the others is as well.

   My inbox is cluttered enough already. I’d prefer to keep things to a minimum.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Oct 11, 2023

      These buttons are all individual now, Pete. So you may like to follow a blog but only receive web and mobile notifications for posts from the blog rather than get emails notifications. I think having a choice is better, but the email new comments button is certainly a cause for concern.

      Reply
4. 

   stevescountry

   Oct 11, 2023

   I have a slightly different problem, one of my regular readers who likes to comment can’t comment anymore. This began about 3 weeks ago and WP has been no help in figuring out the problem. I have not changed any settings so that is not the problem and it is only one reader that is affected, that I know of anyway. Seems like there is always something that happens.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Oct 11, 2023

      Has that reader reported the problem to WordPress? If it’s only affecting them, it’s probably something to do with the settings on their blog, or could also be related to the blog theme they’re using. If they’re using an old, retired theme, WordPress won’t be supporting and fixing any bugs anymore. It’s worth them checking with WordPress.

      Reply
5. 

   Michelle (Boomer Eco Crusader)

   Oct 10, 2023

   Thanks for this post, Hugh. I was wondering why I was no longer getting email notifications of comments on my blog!

   That’s good to know about the “Email me new comments”. It makes sense that we’d only want to see comments for the post we’ve commented on.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Oct 11, 2023

      So it’s happening to you too, Michelle. At least now I know WordPress can not tell me it’s only me it is affecting. Thanks for letting me know.

      Reply
6. 

   Erika

   Oct 10, 2023

   Since I have turned off the e-mail notifications on comments made on my posts, I cannot say anything about it. Yes, I noticed that new comment box too, which confused me initially. Actually, this is the same choice you can find in the “discussion” settings too. And yes, I have no idea how they did it but the spam flood has ended…yippie!!

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Oct 11, 2023

      Good to hear the spam flood has ended, Erika. That’s one good thing that seems to come out of the new comments box.

      Reply
      1. 

         Erika

         Oct 11, 2023

         For once a change for the better instantly 😄

         Reply
7. 

   JT Twissel

   Oct 10, 2023

   I had to change browsers a few years back and that caused all sorts of problems with leaving comments that I’m still trying to wade through. I didn’t realize you could alter the frequency of comment notifications! Thanks!

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Oct 11, 2023

      It’s new post notifications that you can change the frequency of. So, if you follow a blog that publishes more than one post every day, you may prefer to receive those notifications weekly, rather than instantly. Then you can wade through them and decide which of those posts to read.

      Reply
8. 

   Liesbet @ Roaming About

   Oct 10, 2023

   Hi Hugh,

   I might be old-fashioned, but I’m getting tired of all the changes WordPress and other technology companies make all the time, especially when something works well (for me) for ages, and now it doesn’t anymore. Updates seem to “break” other existing parts. (On a side note, a recent Windows update messed up my husband’s computer, which is a big deal for us here in Peru, as he needs his computer daily for work, research, finances, and other things.)

   I’m experiencing the same issues as you mention in this post. I’ve noticed the new slider options before leaving comments, I only want to receive comments in my inbox of blogs that I left a comment on (mostly to see the reply of the blog author to my comments and then “like” that reply if possible, for the same reasons you mention), and now I’m getting comments emailed to me of posts I haven’t even read yet, of a blogger I follow.

   In addition, I have had people contact me that they can’t leave comments on my blog anymore, after all these changes. That’s the worst part. I hope WP figures all this out soon. I don’t have the time or energy to figure all this out. Like every blogger, I want the site to work so I can keep writing, posting, and interacting. That alone is time consuming enough.

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Oct 11, 2023

      I don’t mind changes, Liesbet. In fact, I like that WordPress are always updating their platform to bring it up to modern standards, but what I do not like is the lack of testing these changes properly before they launch them. I’ve no idea if they had beta checkers for the changes to comments, but I’m sure some of the beta users would have highlighted the problems I’ve outlined in this post.

      I can’t believe that anyone would want to be bombarded with email notifications of all comments being left on all the posts of a blog (unless they asked for them). Like you, I only want email notifications of comments of posts where I’ve left a comment. Unfortunately, if this is the way WordPress want things to work, I’m going to have to ensure that I check all comments on the Jetpack app or in the notification section of my blog. I still worry that I won’t catch all of them, though.

      With regards some people not being able to comment on your blog, it seems odd that it’s only affecting some people. I certainly have not encountered any problems leaving comments on your blog. The problem may lay with the blog theme those bloggers are using. If their theme is old and been retired, it could be a bug affecting them being able to leave comments. In any case, they should report the problem to WordPress.

      Reply
9. 

   Brenda

   Oct 10, 2023

   Hi Hugh. Yes, I had noticed these changes. I tend to use my notifications for comments rather than relying on emails, so don’t know whether they’re working or not. I had noticed the change to the layout for commenting and the tick box options. I agree, we should be signing up for comments on a particular post rather than the whole blog.

   Lastly, I had noticed the drop in spam, but at the same time, more regular community members’ comments are appearing in my spam folder/

   Reply
   1. 

      Hugh W. Roberts

      Oct 11, 2023

      That’s not good if more genuine comments are ending up in your spam folder, Brenda. However, years ago there were cases of all comments going spam. It happened to all my comments and I had to report the problem to WordPress. They fixed it, and the problem went away.

      If I find a genuine comment in my spam folder, I inform the person who sent the comment and recommend that they check that other comments they’re leaving on other blogs are not also doing the same. If they are, they need to report the problem to WordPress.

      Reply
      1. 

         Brenda

         Oct 11, 2023

         I usually do let the person know its happened, but I didn’t think of suggesting they check other comments and report it to WP. I’ll bear that in mind

         Reply
         1. 

            Hugh W. Roberts

            Oct 11, 2023

            It was big problem a few years ago when the Akismet Anti-Spam software started marking all comments as spam. Thousands of bloggers ended up in the spam jail. And the only way of getting out was by asking WordPress for help.

            Reply
            1. 

               Brenda

               Oct 11, 2023

               That sounds like it was a nightmare

               Reply
10. 

    Danny Watts

    Oct 10, 2023

    I use the OS and online versions of WP. I found the same box associated with blogs I follow. I assumed it was a feature oassocaited with Chrome. I’ve switched nearly all the blog post options to emails as the “notifcation” options is blowing up my monitor.

    Reply
    1. 

       Hugh W. Roberts

       Oct 11, 2023

       It’s certainly got out of hand, Danny. I don’t want email notifications of all comments left on any post on a blog, just comments for a post where I’ve left a comment. I hope they get it fixed soon.

       Reply
11. 

    Janis @ RetirementallyChallenged.com

    Oct 10, 2023

    Thanks for addressing this issue, Hugh. I don’t have your problem of not getting notifications of comments on my blog, thank goodness, but I’ve started to get more “anonymous” comments since the change. This makes me think that some commenters are having trouble signing in. I would love it if WP gave the option of just getting notified when the blogger responded to my comment only. Sometimes I get this notification, sometimes I don’t. I can’t imagine anyone wanting a notification for EVERY comment… yikes, I wonder what they were thinking?

    Reply
    1. 

       Hugh W. Roberts

       Oct 11, 2023

       Hi Janis, there is a setting on your blog which you can turn on to allow people who are not logged into WordPress to leave comments. You must have that setting turned on. To be honest, I believe we have to make it as easy as possible for readers to leave comments. If they find it too difficult and have to jump through loops and hoops to leave one, they’ll give up, so I have that setting switched on too.

       But I certainly do not want email notifications of every comment left on a blog I’ve left a comment on. That’s way too overwhelming, so I hope they’ll make some changes so we only get email notifications on the posts we’ve left comments on (not the whole blog).

       Reply
12. 

    Terri Webster Schrandt

    Oct 10, 2023

    Now that you bring this up, I don’t get emails for the comments, but I may have turned that off, Hugh. Like a couple of folks mentioned, I check the notifications frequently and have been pretty good about not missing any. Many of the comments are links to my challenge which is a good thing! I did notice the comment box with the extra info, which seems helpful.

    WordPress sure is having some growing pains. I’m glad the HEs are on it but like you mentioned to Colleen, I’m sticking with my current classic theme and will wait for FSE, if I even go there. When I self-hosted it was a lot of work and I fear FSE themes will bring back that mess.

    Every time I read one of your helpful posts, I learn something new. So. Much. To. Still. Learn! ;) Thank you again for your super helpful how-to posts!

    Reply
    1. 

       Hugh W. Roberts

       Oct 11, 2023

       There’s certainly a setting in all our blogs dashboards where you can switch certain comments off, Terri. For example, I turned the one off for anyone who clicked ‘like’ on any of my posts. But it seems (according to the WordPress staff) that the new comments box is now clashing with the comments settings I have on my blog. I hope they can sort it out, and quickly.

       Likewise, I’m sticking with a Classic theme at the moment especially after hearing from Colleen that WordPress seem to be already retiring some FSE themes and replacing them. All sounds very messy.

       Yes, WordPress certainly keep us on our toes with new things to learn. But I rather change than things never changing. Just imagine how boring and dull it would become if nothing changed.

       Reply
       1. 

          Terri Webster Schrandt

          Oct 11, 2023

          I really appreciate how you and other bloggers like Colleen and Eugi share their issues and successes with the rest of us. I have personally found posts and comments very helpful.

          Reply
13. 

    Colleen M. Chesebro

    Oct 10, 2023

    Ugh! Hugh, I can’t keep up with all the issues. LOL! I don’t want all the emails. It’s too much. We used to be able to stop all emails. Then, I could find the comments on the notifications menu. Depending on my work load for the day, I can’t comment or visit everyone I follow. This email me new comments issue is just another example of how WP is not ready for prime time. We pay for this service and we’re the beta testers! By the way, another FSE theme disappeared: Al Dente to be replaced by another remake of the theme. It’s very discouraging to plow through the WP chaos. Thanks for bringing these issues to our attention. You’re appreciated.

    Reply
    1. 

       Hugh W. Roberts

       Oct 10, 2023

       This seems to have happened ever since they launched the new-look comments box on my blog, Colleen. I’m glad it’s not only affecting my blog, as those issues are usually harder to fix. I like the comment email notifications because they act as a backup so I don’t miss any comments, plus I usually forget to check the notifications menu.

       I’m glad I’m still using a Classic theme while the issues with the FSE themes are sorted. Plus, I hear they will get easier to set up as time goes on. I do hope so.

       Reply
       1. 

          Colleen M. Chesebro

          Oct 10, 2023

          Me too. There are too many moving parts to the themes. It makes it really difficult to use. Thanks again for all the information, Hugh.

          Reply
14. 

    Anonymous

    Oct 10, 2023

    I’ve noticed all these things, Hugh, and have been figuring out ways around them. It’s particularly annoying not to get info on my blog right away. There is a lag time. And I don’t appreciate getting everyone else’s comments on a blog I commented on. Patience, patience with the WordPress idjits.

    Reply
    1. 

       Hugh W. Roberts

       Oct 10, 2023

       So, you’re having the same problems as I mentioned in this post? That confirms it’s not just me, which is good.
       Staff at WordPress have been very helpful, but it sounds like the problems are more complicated than I thought. Fingers-crossed, they’ll get sorted.

       Reply
15. 

    Cathy

    Oct 10, 2023

    I haven’t noticed any problems with leaving comments so far, Hugh. I don’t have the email me new posts turned on. I actually though it was for new posts, not comments. If I get a reply to a comment it shows in the jetpack app.

    Reply
    1. 

       Hugh W. Roberts

       Oct 10, 2023

       Good to hear you’re not having any problems leaving comments, Cathy.

       Replies also show in the jetpack app for me, but I’ve stopped getting email notifications whenever anybody leave me a comment on one of my posts. I used to get them, but they stopped suddenly a few weeks ago. I like to get them as I don’t always remember to check the app.

       Reply
       1. 

          Cathy

          Oct 10, 2023

          I hope it gets sorted out for you, Hugh. It’s good there are several options for notifications though.

          Reply
          1. 

             Hugh W. Roberts

             Oct 10, 2023

             Yes, these options have been available before, but WordPress buried them deep in the settings of our blogs, Cathy. I’m glad they’ve made them easier to find. Now my fingers are crossed that they’ll get that email notifications setting fixed.

             Reply